


The Pactmaker

by Bionic_Egypt



Series: Demiprince Izuku [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Barbas shows up occasionally when he and Clavicus get into a fight, Gen, Izuku can make binding deals with people, Izuku is the son of Clavicus Vile, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Midoriya Izuku is a recommended student, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-27 16:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20951348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bionic_Egypt/pseuds/Bionic_Egypt
Summary: For the last few years, rumors had drifted their way up the grapevine, telling tales of someone who could grant any wish, provided one could pay the price. Most heroes dismissed it as just a story. Others thought it had to be a particularly influential information broker or black market dealer. Only a scant few actually believed that someone out there held that kind of power.Those that believed called them the Pactmaker.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another installment in my self-indulgent AU series! This time, I spent much longer than an hour on the fic, so I hope it's better than the previous one. Anywoozel, hope you enjoy!

_This is stupid_, Yagi Toshinori thought as he crept through the darkened, abandoned streets. _I shouldn’t be doing this. Why am I doing this?_

Of course, he knew exactly why he was doing what he was doing. He needed a successor. He could only maintain his All Might form for around three hours a day. Someone out there had to take on the mantle of One for All, to become the next Symbol of Peace. But try as he might, Toshinori couldn’t find the right person. A deep, shameful part of him knew it was because he didn’t want to give up his power, go back to being the quirkless nobody he had been before, but even more than that, he couldn’t find someone who was both physically prepared and had the right personality he was looking for. No one he had considered had that instinctual drive to help others.

But his time was running out. So here he was, seeking out his last resort. For the last few years, rumors had drifted their way up the grapevine, telling tales of someone who could grant any wish, provided one could pay the price. Most heroes dismissed it as just a story. Others thought it had to be a particularly influential information broker or black market dealer. Only a scant few actually believed that someone out there held that kind of power.

Those that believed called them the Pactmaker.

Toshinori finally came to the end of the street, where he found a long-abandoned warehouse. A menacing face with narrowed eyes and tall, curved horns was spray-painted in green on the door. He was in the right place. As silently as he could, he crept inside. The interior was pitch black, shadows clinging to every surface. Yet he could feel there was something else in the room with him. _Someone_ else.

A bright spotlight clicked on, focused solely on him. It felt like he was under interrogation, like the entity hiding in the darkness sought his secrets – or maybe his soul.

“Hello,” an artificially deep voice called out from the shadows. Voice modifier? “Are you here to make a deal?”

“Y-yes,” he said, voice quivering, though whether it was apprehension or something stronger, he didn’t know.

Despite the electronic bass, Toshinori could hear amusement in the voice as it responded. “I don’t negotiate. Either you agree to my terms, or we’re done. I don’t make deals that go against my morals. If you’re looking to hurt people, leave. Be prepared to pay the price. You can’t go back once the deal is done. Are you still willing to continue?”

“Yes.”

“Then what do you want?”

He took a deep breath and stared into the darkness. This was it. His last chance to turn around, find someone on his own. No. He had tried that for months. This was the only way. He had to do this.

“I need to find a successor. Someone to take my place once I can’t go on.”

“What sort of successor? What do you do? Don’t worry about anyone finding out if it’s a secret; think of our agreement like attorney-client privilege. Nothing you say leaves this room.”

Could he trust the Pactmaker? Would they truly keep this a secret? From the terms and the stories, he thought maybe they could be. Either way, he had no choice. If he wanted the Pactmaker’s help, he had to tell them.

“I need someone who has the heart of a hero to take my power. My quirk can be passed down and I need someone who can take it. But they have to be both physically capable of wielding it as well as have the character of a future Symbol of Peace.”

There was a long silence, so long Toshinori thought the Pactmaker had left. He was just starting to consider getting closer to see if the person had gone when they spoke again.

“You’re All Might, aren’t you?”

He coughed in surprise, blood spurting from his lips. “W-what?”

The voice actually sounded – excited? – as it started rapid-fire presenting its deductions. “You kind of look like him, just not as muscly. And you need a successor for a powerful quirk, something that’s being used in hero work. All Might keeps the specifics of his quirk secret, so it’s possible his could be passed down, even if quirks don’t normally work like that. And you said Symbol of Peace. Everyone knows that’s All Might’s title. You _have_ to be All Might. But how do you change shape? Is it part of the quirk? Is it the one you were born with?”

“How did you figure it out so quickly?” he interrupted before the Pactmaker could go on any longer. He chose to ignore the speculation of him being born with a shapeshifting quirk. Maybe letting them think that would keep them off the trail of his civilian identity.

“Oh, um, I – well, it’s not really important,” the Pactmaker said, sounded almost sheepish. “Anyway, you said you need a successor. Someone physically fit and with the heart of a hero. I can do it, but it’ll cost you.”

“What is the price?”

“I want a recommendation to UA.”

Toshinori blinked. Surely his misheard. There was no way the Pactmaker said what he thought they said. “A what?”

In response, a figure stepped out of the shadows. He was very short, with a mess of green curls and wide green eyes. A mask resembling teeth bared into a grimace of a smile covered the bottom half of his face. Dear god, this was a child. The Pactmaker was a _child_.

The Pactmaker removed the mask, letting it fall around his neck. He looked up at Toshinori, those green eyes even wider. Nope. This had to be a trick. There was no way this innocent looking child could be the Pactmaker. But it would make sense, in a twisted sort of way. The rumors had only started about three years ago, right around the time the boy would have been the age most children were really comfortable with their quirks. He could have decided to use his quirk to help people, even if doing so was illegal. But why the secrecy? Why hide in an old warehouse and wear a voice modifier and stay in the shadows? And why ask for a recommendation to UA of all things?

“I want you to recommend me for UA,” the boy repeated. “Finding a successor is important to you. It sounds like it might be the _most_ important thing to you. Getting into UA is the most important thing to me. Writing a recommendation letter might not seem that much to you, but it is everything to me. The recommended exam shows off abilities in tests, not a mechanical free-for-all. You can’t exactly make a deal with a robot.”

“But why UA?” he asked, baffled.

“I want to be a hero. UA is the best school for heroics. Now, do we have a deal or not?”

Recommend the Pactmaker for UA in exchange for the perfect successor for One for All? In the end, the decision was easy.

“Deal.”

The boy’s eyes flashed red. “Deal.”

There was a moment where nothing happened. No feeling of achievement, no tug toward the person he needed, no random appearance of a perfect successor. Absolutely nothing happened. And then the Pactmaker jerked back so hard he nearly fell over.

“Oh what the hell.”

Had – had the boy always been so muscly? No, he realized, he hadn’t. The fabric of his once baggy sweatshirt was now pulled tighter across his chest and arms. He looked just as surprised as Toshinori.

“You’re kidding me,” the boy said, though Toshinori got the feeling it wasn’t directed at him. “_Me?_ Seven billion people in the world, and it’s me? I can’t be his successor! I’m not the right fit!”

“It seems like you are. At least, now,” he said, trying for a little levity and failing horribly if the deadpan look the boy gave him was any indication. “I take it you can’t choose how your deals are carried out?”

“No, but it hasn’t backfired like this in a _long_ time. Obviously someone thinks he’s being funny. _And it’s not!_” That last line was shouted at the ceiling.

The boy took a deep breath before looking back up at Toshinori. “I guess we should start over, huh? Hi, my name is Midoriya Izuku, and I guess I’m your successor.”

As Toshinori looked down at the boy, with his tight smile and outstretched hand, he only had one thought: What just happened?

* * *

Over the next few days, Izuku tried wrapping his head around what his life had become. He just wanted to make deals and be a hero. That was it! Now he was probably going to inherit one of the most powerful quirks in existence from the Number One hero _and_ get recommended to UA. Had it happened in any other circumstance, he would have been thrilled. Not now. Not when it was because his father had a sick sense of humor when it came to how deals were carried out.

Izuku’s father wasn’t some businessman working abroad like he and his mother told people. No, his father wasn’t even human. His father was a dark god from another realm, a powerful Daedra of deals and wishes. He was known as the Prince of Bargains, the God of the Morningstar, the Master of Insidious Wishes. His worshipers knew him as Clavicus Vile.

As his son, Izuku had inherited the ability to make binding pacts. He never really knew how the deals would be carried out, but usually people’s wishes would just so happen to come true, like randomly winning the exact amount of money they wanted in a giveaway, or coincidentally running into the ex they parted with amicably in the grocery store when they wanted love. Izuku always got something out of it; he had to. He wasn’t strong enough to grant wishes on his own, not that he would ever want to. Wishes always came with drawbacks, a downside that made the person regret ever making the wish. That’s why he stuck to deals, even when he had help. With deals, he could lessen the repercussions to something they could both deal with. Information on villain activity in his area in exchange for a boost in ratings for a small time hero, free pastries for a bakery being able to stay open until the shop owner was ready to retire, things like that. Never before had _he_ been the subject of someone’s deal.

But honestly, was it so bad? He had a chance at a power that could help so many people, and an almost guaranteed spot at UA. It wasn’t every day someone was recommended by _All Might_, after all. Really, if All Might decided he was a good enough successor, even though the deal had literally changed his body into being the perfect vessel for One for All, Izuku had the potential to be the next Symbol of Peace. It was as scary as it was exhilarating.

When All Might (“Call me Yagi”) approached him again after they had both had time to think about it, they came to an agreement. Not another deal, though. No, instead they would talk for a bit, Izuku would help do some community service Yagi thought needed done, and then they would decide if Izuku was truly the right fit.

Cleaning up a beach while All Might questioned him about his morals and his ideals was truly bizarre. Even more bizarre was how quickly he was able to clean up said beach. Whatever the deal had done to his body was really helping. Izuku had never been the most athletic person and would readily admit he was kind of a noodle at best. But now? He had no problem dragging a refrigerator across the beach while Yagi was sitting on top. He _lifted _a_ car_. Really, it seemed like Izuku was getting so much more out of this deal than Yagi was.

A few weeks before the UA entrance exam, Yagi finally announced his decision. If Izuku was willing, he wanted him to be his successor. By this point, Izuku had thought over every possible downside – a habit from his pact making – and knew this was his best option for becoming a hero. Unless he wanted to rely on ninja moves and hiding in the shadows, having enhanced everything seemed like the way to go.

So All Might passed One for All onto the Pactmaker.

Gods help them all.

* * *

On the day of the entrance exam, Izuku woke up to a large dog pouncing on his chest.

“Oof! Wait, Barbas? What are you doing here?”

The dog, a shaggy grey-brown mutt, plopped down on Izuku’s lap. _Eh, Clavicus and I got into a bit of a disagreement. Nothing too bad. I’m gonna let him cool down for a few days before I go back._

Izuku shoved him off. “You say that, but we both know you won’t go back for at least two weeks. You can’t follow me today! I have an important exam today. It’s kinda going to decide my whole future.”

_You still on that hero schtick? How’re you gonna get into one of those fancy hero schools without a quirk?_

“Well about that . . .”

_No_, Barbas said, punctuating the word with a yapping bark. _You didn’t make a deal for a quirk did you? I thought you didn’t make deals like that!_

“I don’t! But Clavicus must’ve heard the deal and decided to interfere. You know I can’t change things like that. Not without help, at least.”

_So that’s what he was laughing about_, Barbas mused. _Huh. Shoulda guessed it had something to do with you._

“Ugh,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands. If he had had the time, he would have bemoaned the fact his father found messing with him funny. As it was, he had to hurry if he wanted to get to the school on time. After shooing the Daedric hound out of his room, he quickly got dressed and grabbed his bag. Time to find out if he had what it took to be a hero.

* * *

“You really can’t follow me inside,” Izuku told Barbas for the twentieth time since they left the house.

_And I’m telling you I’m not leaving you until I go back to Clavicus_, Barbas replied for the twentieth time.

“But you can’t go into the testing room with me!”

_Then I’ll sit outside and whine pathetically until they let me it. It always works._

“Not this time!”

The few people who happened to notice them walking up to the gates of UA – UA! He was actually going to walk into UA! – gave them strange looks. Izuku paid them no mind. He knew having what appeared to be a one-sided argument with his dog was weird.

After one last attempt at getting Barbas to wait outside, Izuku finally gave up and let the dog follow him inside. Thankfully, no one they passed seemed to think anything of a dog following a prospective student through the halls. To Barbas’ credit, he _did_ wait outside the room for the written exam. Two hours later, they headed to the testing site for the physical exam. This was it. Time to show the staff he had what it took to be a hero.

There were a few students already there by the time Izuku got changed and failed to convince Barbas to wait outside again. Stupid dog. A girl with a fluffy ponytail was over in the corner talking to a boy with half red, half white hair, who seemed disinterested. Another boy who towered over everyone else was . . . glaring? Glaring at the dual-colored boy. Why was he angry at him?

“Oh! Hello!” the girl said when she noticed Izuku standing there. “You must be the last one. Is that your dog?”

Oh great, he had been late. Fantastic. Barbas was not getting any of those dog treats Izuku kept on hand for when he showed up. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. He refused to stay home.”

“Does he help with your quirk? Or is he a support animal?”

“Um – quirk? I guess? I mean, he kinda helps with part of my abilities, but mostly he’s just a nuisance. He’s actually my father’s dog, but they got into a – I mean, my father had to go away for a bit and left him with me. Barbas doesn’t really listen to anyone though, and I can’t get him to go home.” He rubbed the back of his neck, face heating up. “S-sorry, I’m rambling.”

_Great going, genius. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell ‘em I’m a Daedra, huh? Tell ‘em you’re the Pactmaker too. In fact, why don’t you tell ‘em ya bargained your way into having a quirk in the first place! Geeze kid, and here I thought you were supposed to be the smart one_, Barbas said with a bark.

“Hush!”

The girl snickered behind her hand. And now he was being laughed at. Wonderful. Could this day get any worse?

* * *

The test passed fairly quickly, all things considered. A few pro heroes – he was being tested by actual pros! – led them through a series of tests to see what it was they could do. One or two of them gave Barbas a weird look, but ultimately chose to ignore him, thank the gods. When it came time for Izuku to show what he could do, he decided to keep it strictly to One for All, which he somehow knew exactly how to use. He chalked it up to the deal he made with Yagi making him perfectly capable to wield the quirk, which he had been warned could hurt him if he wasn’t careful.

A few punches and kicks and a handful of demolished training dummies later, Izuku’s first test was over. His second test was a hand-to-hand spar against one of Ectoplasm’s clones. Izuku was ashamed to admit he did poorly. Sure, once he got a hit in he did alright, but with little to no idea of how to actually fight, he rarely landed a hit. Mostly he just tried to dodge Ectoplasm’s strikes and wait for an opening. Dodging, he could do. He had to dodge Kacchan every day at school.

Finally, time was called and Izuku was instructed to go home and wait for the results in the mail. Oh boy. He had failed _so_ _hard_.

* * *

Barbas bolted into Izuku’s bedroom, a letter bearing the familiar logo of UA clamped tight between his teeth. It was about two weeks after the entrance exam and in that time Izuku had dissolved into a nervous wreck. Yagi hadn’t contacted him at all since he took the exam. What if he failed? What if Yagi told the school that Izuku basically blackmailed him into giving him a recommendation? What if Yagi told them he was the Pactmaker? Oh no, what if he told them he was the Pactmaker? He could go to jail! How could he be a hero if he was in jail? He couldn’t, that’s how!

_Hey, stop freaking out_, Barbas said, interrupting Izuku’s spiral into panic. _Open the letter before you worry ‘bout anything, alright?_

“Right. Right. Okay.”

Barbas handed over the envelope and hopped up onto the bed to sit next to Izuku. For once, Izuku didn’t protest. Instead, he tore open the envelope and pulled out a little electronic disk. Huh. One press of a button later, a hologram of All Might was floating above the disk in all his glory.

“Young Midoriya! I am here to reveal the results of your entrance exam! But first, you must be wondering why I am the one doing the recording. I am going to be a teacher at UA! Isn’t that exciting! Ah, but onto the more important matter: your results! Midoriya Izuku, you earned sixty-five points in the physical exam. This, combined with your impressive ninety-nine points on the written test, along with your spot as a recommended student, successfully place you in Class 1-A! Congratulations, young Midoriya! Welcome to your hero academia!”

The hologram dissipated, leaving Izuku to stare out at empty air. What. He – he made it in? He made it in. _He made it in!_ He cheered, punching the air and reaching over to hug Barbas.

“I made it in!” he laughed. “I did it! I’m going to UA!”

Barbas barked and pressed his nose up against Izuku’s shoulder. _Told ya you could do it, kid. I’m proud of ya._

Izuku’s only response was to hug Barbas tighter. He couldn’t believe it. This was really happening! He was going to UA!


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Izuku heard before he even walked into his new classroom was familiar, angry shouting. Great. It was the first day of school and already Kacchan was angry at someone. Not that it was hard to make Kacchan angry. All Izuku had to do was breathe in his presence and somehow it offended him.

Taking a deep breath that did absolutely nothing to calm his nerves, Izuku walked into his new class. There were so many people, nearly all of whom were complete strangers. Izuku did recognize two people who had been at the recommended exam with him, the ponytail girl and the duo-haired boy. Where was the tall one? Surely he had made it in. If Izuku, with his abysmal fighting skills, had made it, then he should have. Maybe one of the other two knew? But finding out from them relied on him actually talking to them, and there was no way that was going to happen.

Izuku hurried to the last empty seat, which just so happened to be right behind Kacchan. Somewhere, Barbas and his father were laughing at him. He just knew it. This is what he got for being selfish and making a deal that he benefited so much from. Why couldn’t he have just asked All Might for his autograph instead? Or better yet, turned him away? No, he couldn’t have done that. Even if it meant spending another three years being tormented by Kacchan and his new classmates, Izuku knew making the deal with Yagi-san was for the best. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

“What the FUCK are you doing here?!” Kacchan shouted right in Izuku’s face as he sat down. “How the hell – you weren’t even _at_ the fucking exam, you shitty nerd! Get the fuck outta here Deku!”

Izuku tried to ignore him, but it was hard with him shouting in his face like that. Kacchan slammed his hands down on Izuku’s desk, an explosion creating scorch marks in the wood. He cringed back in his seat, offering what he hoped was a placating smile. It had never worked before, but he could hope, right?

“I-I _was_ at the exam,” he muttered. “Just not the public one.”

Somehow, Kacchan’s glare got even angrier. “What the fuck does that mean? You took the recommended exam? Like hell any pro would want to recommend a quirkless fuck like you!”

Izuku tried to shrink further back into his seat, but there was no more room. This was a mistake, he should have asked Yagi-san to make sure he wasn’t in the same class as Kacchan. He should have flunked the test. He should have asked for something else. Gods, why didn’t he think this through? Shiketsu was a perfectly good hero school. He could have gone there. He should have gone there. Anything was better than the pure, unadulterated hatred radiating off Kacchan right now.

Kacchan raised his fist, whether to punch him or explode him he didn’t know. But before he could do either, he was encircled by – bandages? No, that was a capture weapon. A very distinctive capture weapon. Oh no. Please no.

Eraserhead was standing just inside the doorway, red eyes locked onto Kacchan in a scowl. “I will not have my students attacking each other on the first day.”

Eraserhead just stood up for Izuku. Eraserhead. The last time Izuku had seen him, he had tried infiltrating one of the Pactmaker’s warehouses (there was more than one and he switched which one he was in every so often. He was a sort-of vigilante, not stupid). He had come so close to capturing Izuku, but he just barely managed to escape. He hadn’t gone out to make any deals for months after that encounter. Oh gods, what if Eraserhead knew he was the Pactmaker? What if he found out and arrested him? He hadn’t made any deals since the one with Yagi-san, but that didn’t make up for the fact he had made pacts for years before then. All he wanted to do was help people. Would Eraserhead or the police even care about that? And – and technically it wasn’t even against the law since he hadn’t been using a quirk, but no one would believe he had been quirkless until a few months ago. No one would believe that his father was Clavicus Vile and that his deal making ability was magic and not a quirk.

Before he knew it, Izuku was following his fellow students out the door and to the locker room for some sort of test. He hadn’t been paying attention, to focused on freaking out because the person who had been after him for months was now his homeroom teacher and he was going to find out who Izuku really was and throw him in jail because no one would believe him!

Out on the testing grounds, Class 1-A stepped up to take their Quirk Assessment Test, complete with the possibility of being expelled if they were the one in last place. Terrifying, but not a consequence Izuku was unfamiliar with. With all of his deals, the request would be taken away if the terms were not met. He had only had a few people fail to follow through with their end of the bargain, but those people had chosen not to pay him. They knew the terms. So if making it higher than last place was the term of this agreement, then he would do his best to honor those terms.

The top placers for most of the tests were fairly easy to predict. The boy with engines in his legs – who honestly looked a bit like Ingenium, maybe they were related – was the fastest in the race. A boy who bulked up after eating a donut – what an amazing quirk, what was the correlation between sugar and muscles – crushed the strength test. A girl with a zero-gravity quirk – pink pads on her fingers, was it activated by all five or could it be just one – threw the ball so far the score came up as infinity.

Izuku could confidently say he wasn’t the worst at any of the tests, though nor was he the best. He tried his hardest, though, and that was fine. When it came time for the ball throw, he decided it was time to actually try using One for All. He hadn’t really done much with it yet. Yes, he gave himself a slight speed and strength boost in the other tests, but he was still getting used to his new quirk. He didn’t want to hurt himself or others. But the ball throw? That seemed like the safest place to try it.

He launched the ball into the air, green sparks dancing across his arms. Wow! He threw it farther than Kacchan had! Oh no. He threw it father than Kacchan had.

“What the fuck?! How the fuck did you do that! You’re quirkless! Damn Deku!”

He braced himself for the familiar and painful heat of an explosion, but it never came. Instead of launching himself at Izuku, Kacchan had once again been restrained by Eraserhead. Muffled screams of rage forced their way through the capture weapon, though the exact words were lost. Eraserhead only sighed.

“I will not tell you again. Assaulting another classmate is prohibited. One more incident and you’re expelled.”

Izuku gaped at him. Had – had Eraserhead actually threatened to punish Kacchan? No teacher had ever done that before. No teacher had ever been _able_ to do that before. It had to be a fluke. Besides, Kacchan hadn’t actually been punished. It was only a threat. A logical ruse. Eraserhead wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be.

* * *

It was after the disaster of the battle test that Izuku realized it hadn’t been a fluke and that Aizawa-sensei (had to get used to calling him that, didn’t want him to know Izuku recognized him) had been completely serious.

Kacchan had gotten _suspended_. For a whole week! According to Aizawa-sensei, he would have been expelled if the incident had occurred while he was teaching. As it stood, All Might was the one to help deal out the punishment. All Might had suspended Kacchan because he hurt Izuku. It was impossible. And yet, here they were.

No teacher had ever been able to do anything to stop Kacchan before. And it was all because of Izuku.

When they were young, a few months after Kacchan had gotten his quirk but before Izuku had been diagnosed quirkless, Barbas had shown up for the first time. It was the only time he had shown up because Clavicus told him to instead of them fighting. He explained that whatever deal making power Izuku had yet to display was not the result of a quirk, but of godly inheritance. He also explained that, as a part of Clavicus Vile’s power, Barbas could strengthen Izuku’s own abilities. He could grant wishes, dictate the exact terms of his deals and how they were carried out. With Barbas, he was almost as strong as his father at full power.

So Izuku decided he wanted to help his friend become a hero. He found Kacchan at the park and introduced him to Barbas. Barbas didn’t speak to Kacchan, which was weird. Barbas spoke to Izuku and to his mom, so why didn’t he speak to Kacchan? Barbas said it was because Kacchan wasn’t important to Clavicus, which was ridiculous. Kacchan was important! Kacchan was going to be a great hero! And Izuku was going to help.

With Barbas at his side, Izuku told Kacchan to make a wish. He would make sure it would come true. Barbas tried to warn him that wishes had consequences, but Izuku didn’t care. Nothing bad could happen if Kacchan wished to be a hero. That was silly. Kacchan did make a wish, even though he looked skeptical.

“I wish go to UA so I can be the best hero ever!”

Izuku felt a jolt, like something had shocked him, and Kacchan briefly flared red. It was over in a blink. Yet, something happened. Izuku felt tied to Kacchan somehow. Barbas helpfully explained that that was the wish; when it was granted in full, the feeling would go away.

Neither child thought about the wish again until elementary school started. Kacchan started picking on Izuku because he was quirkless. He started picking on kids with weak quirks. He started exploding kids because they weren’t cool enough to hang out with him. And not a single teacher ever did anything to stop him. Other children who tried the same thing were usually called over and scolded. It took Izuku almost a year to realize what was going on. The wish did have consequences. Kacchan would be a hero because he couldn’t get in trouble. No one would ever tell Kacchan no, don’t hurt others, because he was going to be a hero, and he needed to be praised and told he was doing the right thing.

It continued for years and Izuku had been convinced it would continue now. But what changed? Why was Kacchan suddenly facing consequences for his actions? And when had Izuku stopped feeling the wish binding them together?

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

He knew exactly what happened. Kacchan’s wish hadn’t been to be a hero. It had been to get into UA. It had to have been granted he second he was accepted. Izuku had been so nervous it was entirely possible he had overlooked the instant the tie was severed. Kacchan’s wish had been granted! Izuku was free! Well, not quite, he still had class with Kacchan, but maybe the teachers would listen now if something happened and Kacchan started bullying students again. It hadn’t just been Izuku that suffered the consequences of the wish, after all. Lots of other kids had been bullied by Kacchan and his followers. Izuku had tried to stop it as best he could, made himself a target so they could run, but he never fully succeeded. There was always an incident he couldn’t stop, a person he couldn’t save. It hurt, but he knew it was his punishment. Barbas had warned him, but he hadn’t listened.

Now though? Now he could actually go get a teacher and they would do something about it! He could really help! And just maybe, with enough guidance, Kacchan would actually stop bullying others and be a real hero.

* * *

School passed in much the way one would expect a hero school to go. There was training, education classes, an outing that resulted in a villain battle. Scary, yes, but honestly? Izuku had been expecting so much worse. He thought people were going to be dead by now. The Sports Festival had been fun too. Sure, he didn’t win, but he honestly hadn’t expected to get as far as he had. He did almost loose against Shinsou, but in the end he managed to pull ahead. He even managed to help Todoroki! Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact he had promised himself never to use a deal to hurt someone, he would have somehow made it to where Endeavor would be launched into the sun. Unfortunately, he didn’t know enough people who could do it, and he didn’t want them to have ‘murdering a high-ranking pro hero’ on their record.

As it was, he really wanted to get to know Shinsou more. He couldn’t imagine how awful being treated as a villain his entire childhood had been. It was obvious he needed a friend and Izuku was always willing to make another. And Shinsou wanted to get into the hero course! If anyone deserved to be transferred in, it was him.

With the arrival of Barbas one morning, Izuku knew just how to do it, too.

Somehow, no one really seemed bothered by Barbas’ presence in the school. Well, Kacchan called him a stupid mutt, but that was fairly standard. Barbas bristled at the insult, insisting that he was ‘_one hundred percent Daedroth, Spiky_’ and that Kacchan ‘_wouldn’t know a god from a skeever_,’ whatever that was. It was best not to ask.

It wasn’t until lunch that Izuku was finally able to look for Shinsou. He found him hunched over his lunch in the corner, alone. Izuku slid into the seat in front of him, Barbas at his side. Shinsou stared at him, tired eyes filled with suspicion.

“What do you want?”

“To be your friend.”

The honesty of Izuku’s answer seemed to shock him. “What? Why?”

“Because you don’t seem to have any. And because you’re kind of cool. _And_ you want to get into the hero course and I can help you with that.”

Shinsou raised a doubtful eyebrow. “How?”

Izuku smiled. “Shinsou, meet Barbas. Barbas, this is Shinsou, the gen ed student I was telling you about.”

“You’re introducing me to your . . . dog?”

_Really kid? This is the one your want to waste my time on? He needs a nap, not a spot in the hero course._

Shinsou’s eyes went wide. “Did – did he just talk?”

Izuku shrugged. “It’s more telepathy than talking, but yeah. Barbas here can give me a bit of a power boost if he wants to. We already made an agreement earlier, so he should help. Right?” That last part was directed solely at Barbas, who gave a soft whine.

_You better have the good treats. Clavicus never gives me _any. _It’s inhumane_.

“You’re not human.”

_Whatever. Let’s get this over with_.

Shinsou interrupted the – argument? Conversation? – before it could go any further. “I thought your quirk was strength enhancement? How’s that supposed to get me into the hero course?”

Izuku’s answering smile was a little smug as he said “My _quirk_ is enhancement. But the ability I inherited from my father will be better for this.”

“You have two quirks?!”

Ugh, why did everything have to be about quirks? Sure, Izuku loved learning about them, loved theorizing over how they could be better utilized and how they could apply to any number of situations, but not everything was a quirk. Sometimes it was just magic.

“Anyway. So, here are the terms: you, Shinsou Hitoshi, will join the heroics class 1-A, replacing one Mineta Minoru due to his treatment of the female students. In return, you will join my friends and I for lunch instead of hiding in this corner. Obviously you don’t have to sit with us every single day, but you will sit with us regularly in the hopes of us becoming friends. Do we have a deal?”

Shinsou looked conflicted for a brief second before nodding. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Izuku echoed, feeling the all too familiar jolt of electricity tying him and Shinsou together. “Great! Let’s go. Grab your tray and follow me.”

He got up to go to his usual table, but was stopped by Shinsou’s hand gripping his sleeve.

“Hold on,” he said, letting go, “why did your eyes turn red? How come _you’re_ the one who picked me to replace the other guy? I haven’t even heard of someone getting booted from the hero course. What does your telepathic dog have to do with any of this?”

Izuku sighed. He should have known Shinsou would have questions. He sat back down and gave Shinsou a tight smile.

“Have you ever heard of the Pactmaker?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, that's the end of this one! Which Daedra should I do next?

**Author's Note:**

> I might end up writing a second chapter to this if people want it. I have an idea for what wish he granted that backfired could be, as well as another deal made with a fellow student. What do you guys think?


End file.
